Succession Update
07/22/10
The Succession Committee met July 19. We continue to expand the pool of nominees and applicants. Our ads are now running in The Living Church and Episcopal News Monthly as well as their on-line partners. We expect a number of applicants to reply to these ads by the end of August. All the nominees and applicants are reviewed by the screening committee when their materials are complete. If the screening group feels that there is a possible "fit" with Holy Comforter, the candidate is recommended to the entire committee for a phone interview. At this point we are in the process of setting up three phone interviews. Our next scheduled meeting is August 16. By this time, we will have completed the screening of more candidates leading to follow-up interviews. Overall, we can say that the process is working. It goes almost without saying that we continue to welcome comments and input especially of clergy that you think might be interested in our search. Feel free to contact any member of the committee.
07/08/10
The Succession Committee met July 6. The first order of business in all meetings is a review of potential candidates. In response to our recently initiated print and internet advertising, we are beginning to receive more applicants to add to the list of candidates proposed by parishioners and interested parties. All the proposed candidates have been contacted by a committee member with many showing real interest in completing the application process. Applicants who respond to our advertising are also contacted and alerted to our timetable for early fall interviewing. We expect to finalize all of our interviewing material at our next scheduled meeting on July 19. Overall, we are very pleased with our progress to date.
06/22/10
The Succession Committee met last night to further refine the search process which is now underway. We have contacted 19 potential candidates nominated by parishioners, other priests, and friends. Some have applied, some are not now available for the job, and many are considering applying. Please continue to think of priests who would be a good match for Holy Comforter. While we plan to start interviewing in the fall, we will continue to search for the best applicants throughout this process. We are confident that we will have a strong pool of candidates from which to nominate our next rector.
The advertisements for the job are now online at the Living Church and the Episcopal News Monthly, as well as several diocesan websites. Print versions will roll out in the next two weeks and run for three months. We expect the bulk of our applications to come in late summer as news of our rector search spreads.
We are also putting together a community information sheet for our website that would be helpful to a new rector, perhaps with a young family. In the age of the Internet information is readily available, but we hope to highlight what is great about the North Shore and provide links for further research. Our amazing church is in an amazing community.
Thank you for your continued support and interest.
06/08/10
The Succession Committee met last night to discuss details of the interview and selection process that will be used in our search for a new rector. Our primary goal is flexibility, so that we can be both efficient and productive as the search continues. While there is a real desire for objective measures, much of what we are seeking, like a pastoral heart and celebratory spirit, may be discerned more subjectively. As a committee, we are working together to find the best balance of criteria which we believe will ensure a successful outcome.
Our online advertising begins this month. The print advertisements will run in July, August and September. Currently we have eight nominations and we expect applications to start arriving as soon as the ads run.
As always, please contact any of the members of the Succession Committee with ideas and comments. We welcome your input.
05/21/10
The Succession Committee has posted the Parish Profile and the Application Requirements on the Holy Comforter website. We encourage you to visit the site and review the materials. As always, the Committee welcomes your comments and input. Our next meeting is June 7th. The major topic will be defining the interviewing and selection process. Overall, we are very pleased with the progress to date.
05/18/10
The Succession Committee met again last night to finalize the parish profile and application requirements. After the Vestry reviews these documents, we will post them on our website, hopefully by the end of the week. We are confident that the profile gives an accurate snapshot of the parish and clearly states what qualities we seek in our new rector.
We have received several nominations for rector. Thank you for your help. Your thoughtful nominations broaden the candidate pool from which to select our new rector. If you know of someone who would be right for us, please fill out a nomination form.
We hope you found the Listening Sessions worthwhile. Your input helped us craft the parish profile to reflect the current views and future outlook of the parish. While no more formal sessions are scheduled, our listening continues. Please share your thoughts and ideas anytime.
You may send them to us at successioncommittee@holycomforter.org, leave a note in the parish office, or contact members of the Listening Sessions working group directly: Bob Patin, Jane Eaton, Nancy Lovely and Heather Schaefer.
As always, thank you for your support and prayers throughout this process.
05/12/10
The Succession Committee has been busy revising drafts of the parish and rector profiles, application, ad copy, job description, nomination guidelines and outlines for the upcoming interview and selection process. By early June we hope to finalize many of these documents. The committee will work closely with the Vestry throughout this process to ensure that we have covered all the bases and fairly represent the interests of the broader parish.
As always, please contact a Succession Committee member if you have questions or ideas to share.
05/05/10
The Succession Committee met Monday night to hear status reports from the various working groups. Our current push is get the parish and rector profiles finalized. The profiles communicate who we are as a church and what traits and experience we seek in a new rector.
At the listening sessions, many of you identified traits that are included in the profiles. We have two more listening sessions scheduled. Please join us Tuesday, May 11th, at 7:00 p.m. in the library, and Sunday, May 16th, following the 11:15 a.m. service. We will likely have more in the fall as well. If you cannot join us, please share your ideas with Bob Patin or any other member of the Listening Sessions working group.
As we develop the application process, we are also considering the best ways to find qualified candidates. If you know of someone who would be a good rector for Holy Comforter, please fill out a nomination form. You can download the form 
here. Thank you to those who have already submitted names. We are confident that we will have a good pool of candidates from which to draw.
By the beginning of June, we hope to have completed the profiles and fully defined the application process. We will post these on the web when they are ready.
Thank you for your continued support and interest.
04/27/10
The Candidate Solicitation working group has begun the process of gathering names for possible rector candidates. We need your help. If you know of a person who would be a good match for Holy Comforter, please let us know by filling out this form and returning it to the parish by one of:
e-mail: successioncommittee@holycomforter.org
fax: (847) 251-6041
mail: 222 Kenilworth Avenue, Kenilworth, Illinois 60043
And please feel free to contact the working group members directly. We look forward to hearing from you.
Tom Wiedrich, Doug Groncki, Cindy Macfarland and Hal Stewart
04/27/10
The Succession Committee working groups have started the work of searching for a new rector. The 4/20/10 update describes the role of each group. The contact people are:
Profiles: Steve Crawford
Listening Sessions: Bob Patin
Application: John Campbell
Communications: Lili Duquette
Candidate Solicitation: Tom Wiedrich
Selection/Interview Process: John Campbell
We welcome your ideas and questions. Please contact us any time in person or at successioncommittee@holycomforter.org
04/26/10
The Succession Committee now has an e-mail address:
successioncommittee@holycomforter.org
Please use it to communicate with the committee. We welcome questions, comments and ideas. Please feel free to contact committee members directly as well.
04/21/10
Bob Patin is the head of the Listening Sessions working group for the Succession Committee. At these sessions we seek an open discussion of the qualities we look for in a new rector. We will also answer questions you may have about the process.
Please join us:
Thursday, April 29th, at 7:00 p.m. in the library
Sunday, May 2nd, following the 8:00 a.m. service in the library
Tuesday, May 11th, at 7:00 p.m. in the library
Sunday, May 16th, following the 11:15 a.m. service
Your input is important. We look forward to seeing you.
04/20/10 ~~ This entry and all updates henceforth are provided by the Succession Committe; previous entries are from the staff.
Last night the Succession Committee met for the first time. We have a great team and look forward to our work together. With the support of the parish, we are confident that we will find the best rector to lead our church community in its ongoing journey.
To this end, we set up several working groups. We will announce contact people for each working group in our next update. The groups are:
Profiles: The selection process is guided by a parish profile that explains who we are and a rector profile that sets out the kind of person we are seeking. Creating these profiles is our first priority.
Listening Sessions: Soon we will announce several listening sessions. At these sessions we seek an open discussion of the qualities we seek in a new rector. We will also answer questions you may have about the process.
Application: A team will consider the material, such as resumes, DVDs of sermons, specific interest in Holy Comforter, etc., that we request from applicants to begin the selection process.
Communications: We will update the parish, the Vestry and the Bishop weekly about our progress.
Candidate Solicitation: This team will collect from the parish names of suggested candidates, identify other excellent candidates who might not apply for the position on their own, and advertise the position in national publications.
Selection/Interview Process: This team will develop criteria to evaluate the candidates and create a process that reveals the best match for our church.
While our time is short, we are confident that we are on track. We plan to publish the church and rector profiles before summer. As applications come in over the summer, we will organize them so we can begin the selection process in the fall. After telephone interviews, we plan to visit select candidates at their home churches in late fall and early winter. By late winter, we will bring a few candidates to Holy Comforter for extensive interviews. Before April, we hope to recommend the finalists to the Vestry.
We are grateful for your support and prayers throughout this process.
04/19/10
Father Myers called a special meeting of the Vestry and the Succession Committee for this evening. Both groups reviewed the Succession Charter, and the Vestry approved the final revision. The Rector reminded both groups of the importance of their working together. The Succession Committee will present three viable candidates to the Vestry for election as the ninth Rector. That person will need the approval of the Bishop of Chicago. Details of the process are presented in the Charter. It can be found on this link...
The Successon Updates to this point have been provided by the staff. All updates from this time forward will be provided by the Succession Committee.
04/15/10
The Rector and Wardens met today with Bishop Lee and Canon Hayashi regarding our Succession Process. The Bishop was very supportive, asked important and helpful questions, and offered resources available to us in our efforts. We will remain in close communication throughout the transition.
The Adult Forum on Sunday, April 18, will be a Listening Session. The Rector and Wardens will conduct the session to answer any questions and begin the process of listening the to heart of the parish. Our new Succession Committee Co-chairs, Steve Crawford and Lili Duquette will be introduced.
Father Myers has called a Special Meeting of the Vestry for Monday, April 19. This will be a joint meeting of the Vestry and the Succession Committee. The Charter will be discussed and finalized. Process will be clarified, and a report of the meeting with the Bishop will be made.
04/10/10
The Rector, Wardens, and Vestry have selected the following persons to serve on the Succession Committee. They are
Co-chairs: Steve Crawford and Lili Duquette; Members: Eric Beatty, Trudy Bunge, John Campbell, Tom D'Arcy, Jane Eaton, Marc Franson, Doug Groncki, Nancy Lovely, Cindy MacFarland, Heather Schaefer, Hal Stewart, and Tom Wiedrich. Two additional persons will attend meetings and serve as resources to the committee: Tom Hamilton, the parish Chancellor, and Bob Patin, consultant. Photo here...
The Wardens received names of those willing to serve. The Executive Committee reviewed the names and selected a representative list from the parish. The Wardens contacted each of those selected to insure they understood the criteria of selection and agreed. The Vestry approved the list. A Charter has been drafted to guide the process and is to be shared with the parish once the Succession Committee has met and reviewed it.
The Rector, Wardens, and Vestry present these persons to the parish as our Succession Committee. We thank each person who offered to serve and regret we could not accommodate everyone. We call upon every parishioner to review our Vision Statement and strive to live into it fully, to trust in our leadership, and to pray for those who will undertake this significant work. May God bless us in this succession process.
04/05/10
The Vestry gathers for its regular meeting this Saturday, April 10th. At that time the Executive Committee will seek the Vestry's approval of those who have been selected to serve on the Succession Committee. Following this meeting, those names will be published. The Vestry will also review the Succession Charter. Once the Succession Committe has met and reviewed the Charter, it will be published as well. Your patience and prayers are appreciated.
03/29/10
The Executive Committee has reviewed the names of those interested in serving on the Succession Committee. We thank all who responded and regret not everyone could be selected. The committee would be too large. The Wardens are contacting candidates. Once this has been completed, the Vestry will approve the list prior to public announcement. We are grateful for the patience of the parish, and we invite everyone to continue praying for the our live together. The Vestry meets Saturday, April 10th. We hope to make a public announcement that day.
03/22/10
The Executive Committee meets tonight to continue its work of selection of the Succession Committee. Interested parishioners were encouraged to submit their names. The work of the committee will require commitment to a year long process with regular meetings and hard work. Once the persons have been chosen, the Vestry will review and approve the final list. The names will be announced as soon as the process is completed.
03/16/10
The Executive Committee has begun its work of selecting a Succession Committee for the Vestry's approval. This process may take several weeks. The names of those submitted are being reviewed. The Executive Committee strives to find balanced representation of the parish and to select those willing to commit to the hard work of calling a new Rector. A Special Meeting of the Vestry will be called once the Executive Committee is ready to submit the names. The prayers and support of the parish are needed and requested.
03/09/2010
Nominations for membership on the Succession Committee must be submitted to the Wardens by the close of business on Monday, March 15, 2010. See below for details.
03/08/2010
Father Myers has announced his retirement for one year to 16 months from March 1, 2010. The Bishop and the Vestry have concurred. The Vestry is responsible for calling a new Rector before Father Myers leaves. They are establishing a Succession Committee Charter which details the process of selection. Once finalized this document will be made public. The charter calls for the creation of a Succession Committee.
Membership on the Succession Committee will include those who are 1) officially members of the parish, 2) willing to devote the necessary time, energy, and hard work required to complete the process of call with excellence [There will be many meetings, sessions to review candidate materials, time for reflection, etc.], 3) make this process a very high priority in their personal lives, 4) be willing to travel at parish expense to interview potential candidates in their own environment, 5) commit to remaining in the process until it is completed no matter how long it takes, 6) strive during the transition to live into and to model our Vision Statement, 7) keep the parish and the process in prayerful consideration.
The Succession Committee is selected by the Executive Committee and subsequently approved by the Vestry. Parish input is needed and invited. If you want to serve on the Succession Committee, please submit your name to one of the Wardens. You may use their email address [jbunge@kirkland.com or mailto:samuelschaefer@gmail.com] or mail them, or put a note in their church mailbox. Please do not call them. You can understand why. If you wish to nominate someone other than yourself to the Succession Committee, please secure that person's willingness to serve before you submit their name.
Of course not everyone who may wish to serve will be included. The Succession Committee needs to be large enough to fairly and comprehensively represent the parish, yet small enough to work efficiently and effectively as a team. The process must move along on a timely basis yet not be rushed.
The staff has submitted and the Vestry endorsed the "Staff Guidelines during the Succession Process ," a document detailing how the staff will conduct itself during the transition. A copy of the guidelines is posted on the bulletin board.
During the Listening Session at the Adult Forum on Sunday, Father Myers called upon the parish to
1. Read the Vision Statement of the parish and strive to live into its call, especially during our transition process.
2. Challenge one another when we aren't into it, to join in the spirit of joy and hope that calling a new Rector can bring.
3. Trust and support the present leadership to complete the task faithfully, steadfastly, and well.
4. Pledge to be a positive influence in the succession process.
5. Rejoice that God has blessed this parish abundantly and believe fervently that God will bless us again.
6. Be an agent of grace and love.
